The letter, which you can read in full here, responds to
concerns CPJ expressed in an April 17 blog
noting that India, Pakistan, and Brazil--countries with
high rates of unsolved journalist killings--had raised objections to the plan's
draft at a UNESCO inter-governmental council debate in March. The action plan,
which proposes measures for U.N. agencies to improve coordination and develop programs
to protect journalists and combat impunity in cases of anti-press violence, has
since been approved by the U.N. Chief Executives Board and steps for
implementation should be laid out soon.

CPJ welcomes the plan's adoption, but its impact will be
defined by how far states are willing to go to cooperate and back it. That is
why endorsement from countries such as Brazil, which face tough battles to convict
perpetrators and rein in attacks against journalists in their countries and
are also highly influential in regional and global forums, is so important.

One way Brazil could show its leadership and commitment? By
voicing loud, unequivocal support for the work of the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the human rights
monitoring body of the Organization of American States, and its special
rapporteur for freedom of expression. Some Latin American leaders, led by Ecuadoran
President Rafael Correa, have proposed
restricting the activity of the IACHR and limiting the funding of the
special rapporteur.

"Brazil prides itself on its democratic credentials and on
the freedom that the press enjoys in the country," Ribeiro states in the letter.
Following through on its commitment to the U.N. action plan and standing up to Correa's
attempts to debilitate the Inter-American human rights system would go far
to strengthen those credentials.

Elisabeth Witchel, a CPJ consultant, served for many years as the organization’s journalist assistance coordinator. She also launched CPJ’s Global Campaign Against Impunity.